Steve leaves previous career in his dust trail after switch

These days, instead of chasing the latest news story, he is more likely to be found riding over the hills above Holmfirth – happy to be “just a horseman”.

Steve became interested in natural horsemanship some years ago and now he combines this with Western riding techniques to train horses. It has taken a while and some interesting work experience jobs, but now Steve is finding he is in demand, working with both horses and riders.

Horses had always been there in the background of his life and both he and his wife, Karen, had ridden as children. When their two daughters became interested in riding they got ponies for them.

“We started to ride a lot and it just grew from there,” said Steve.

They began going to local and then county shows and did particularly well with a Dales mare, Cilla, that they still have.

“She kept winning or being placed at almost every show she went to in her first season and she ended up qualifying for Olympia,” said Steve.

Trainers like Pat Parelli and Monty Roberts had started to visit this country and Steve and Karen became interested in natural horsemanship.

“I started reading more and more about what other people were doing, going to clinics and working with horses on the ground,” added Steve.

A ranch holiday in Arizona made them even more enthusiastic and when they got home Steve changed over from English to Western tack. He joined the Western Equestrian Society and started competing at their shows.

His work as a photographer had become unpredictable and he decided to apply for a job as a stable lad at a National Hunt racing yard near Worksop.

“I had always wanted to ride racehorses. I was 47 and the world’s oldest apprentice,” said Steve. “They had about 24 horses in training and it was hard work. I was riding five horses a day up the gallops. But it proved I was committed to working with horses and I learned a lot.”

His next quest for experience led to a job at Oakridge Quarter Horses, near Newark, where he helped with training Western horses – “I was a full-time cowboy at last”.

After being made redundant from there as the recession began to hit, Steve returned to photography for a while, but jobs were few and far between.

He was asked to look at some problem ponies and used Western techniques which proved successful.

“That led to more recommendations and now I’m pretty busy,” said Steve.

“Mostly it is behavioural problems with horses which have usually caused massive confidence problems with owners. I try to look at the picture as a whole, starting with confidence building with the horse.”

Using all the the techniques he has learned, Steve also works with some horses “at liberty” – meaning they have no tack and he can lunge them freely. He is also interested in horse agility, where he rides without a saddle or bridle. It’s quite a different way of life and Steve is glad he made the change.

“I hope I’m helping people and helping horses,” he said.

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